Shattered
by Cotton Candy Mareep
Summary: "Some things in life happen without reason, and can never truly be explained." After the death of his grandfather, Jack's life had shattered. He left his promising life in the city to become an incompetent farmer in Mineral Town, and has been haunted ever since. By a memory he had once completely forgotten, but now recalled every detail of. Entry for TVS contest "Mirrors."


**A/N: So this is my entry for the Village Square Contest, the theme is "mirrors." It's loosely based on a certain small event in Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town. That's where I got the idea for this oneshot from.**

**Let me warn you- it might be a little disturbing, as in slight gore, but I really toned it down a lot and didn't use much detail when describing it. I don't like blood and gore that much myself, but I really wanted to try writing something darker, and it just seemed to fit.**

**Anyway, I hope you read and enjoy! Either way, feedback is appreciated, so leave a review while you're at it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon.**

* * *

Shattered

_Some things in life happen without reason, and can never truly be explained._

"Hey Grandpa! Bet you can't catch me!"

The little boy ran around and around the large room, giggling like a maniac, as the old man chuckled good-naturedly and stood up from his chair.

"Come here, you!"

He stumbled after his grandson, taking exaggerated steps, while the little boy screamed gleefully and ran faster. The boy's foot caught on an uneven section of the floor rug and he fell, sprawling in front of a large full-length mirror that was propped up against the wall.

"Jack! Are you alright?"

The little boy nodded, staring at the mirror before him. His grandfather stepped forward to help him up off the floor, but still the boy's eyes did not stray from the mirror.

"Hey Grandpa…"

"Yes, my boy?"

"I… I thought I saw something in your mirror."

"What? Your reflection?" The old man chortled, but his grandson remained serious.

"No… it was bigger, and dark… like a shadow."

"Well, it _is_ a haunted mirror."

"Haunted? Really?"

The old man nodded. "But let's not worry about that now, shall we? Come on, come out to the barn with me. The cows still need to be milked, and afterwards I'll let you collect the eggs from the chicken coop."

"Okay!"

* * *

Jack awoke with a start, breathing heavily and blinking away drowsiness as he waited for his heartbeat to return to normal. Bright sunlight filtered in through the window, nearly blinding the young farmer. He shielded his eyes from the light and yawned, last night's dream still fresh in his mind.

The dream had been a memory of himself and his grandfather, many years ago, when Jack used to spend the summers at the old man's farm. The two had always been very close, so when Jack first heard the news of his grandfather's death, he was stunned.

Apparently, the elderly farmer had died in his sleep from old age, and in his will he stated that he wanted his grandson Jack to take over his farm.

Jack had previously been living in a rented apartment in the city, working at a local deli and studying to become a successful lawyer. However, after hearing the depressing news, Jack felt compelled to fulfill the old man's final request. He moved out of his apartment, quit his job, and gave up just about everything to take over his grandfather's farm in Mineral Town.

In other words, Jack's life had shattered.

The farm work was physically demanding and took a definite toll on his body, especially when the young man was more cut out for work in the city, and the recent death had taxed him emotionally as well. And ever since he first fell asleep in the bed that was once his grandfather's, Jack had been having strange recurring dreams that made him restless and prevented him from getting a good night's sleep.

Every dream was exactly the same- this one memory played constantly through Jack's head at night, a memory he had once completely forgotten but now recalled every detail of. The dream perplexed him, and it continued to haunt him every night, tiring him out even more.

Still vaguely confused over his dream, Jack stretched and rolled out of bed. He glanced out the window and guessed that it was at least ten o'clock, judging from the amount of sunlight shining through. He had slept in. Again.

The farmer lunged toward his dresser and wrenched open the drawers, digging through its contents for his working clothes. He rushed to change into a clean T-shirt, and as he struggled to pull on a pair of jeans, his foot caught in the pant leg and he fell, sprawling in front of a large full-length mirror propped up against the wall.

Jack winced and used the dresser to pull himself back up, his eyes on the mirror. The same mirror from his dream, the same smooth reflective surface and gilded frame. For a split second he thought he saw something within its glassy depths, a shadow of some sort, but it was gone as soon as it had come.

After a quick involuntary shudder, Jack decided he must have imagined the dark silhouette in his mirror, passing it off as a remnant from his dream.

Taking a deep breath to clear his mind, the farmer grabbed a few apples from the fridge and munched them on his way outside. There was a lot of work to be done- the cow needed to be milked, eggs needed to be collected, and tomatoes needed watering. He could not afford to sleep in like this every day.

By the time all his farm work was finished, it was nearing dinner time. Jack was still a novice farmer, so the work took a lot of time and energy out of his day, and he had only eaten a single sandwich for lunch.

His stomach grumbling with hunger, Jack decided to stop over at the Inn for a quick hearty meal before he succumbed to sleep. Their food was better than anything he could make himself, anyway.

* * *

Jack reentered the house just as the clock struck twelve. It was midnight. He had been out much longer than was desired, but he had such a great time at the Inn, and deserved a break from work.

Besides, Karen had been at the Inn that night, and she had challenged Duke to a drinking contest with some very amusing results. Jack chuckled to himself at the very thought.

Glancing around the room, he noticed that the large mirror on the back wall looked even more intimidating than usual. Its surface looked darker and shadowy, almost sinister, and his own reflection seemed distorted somehow.

Curious, Jack stepped forward. He looked the same as always, and yet there was a different quality to the mirror image, as if he were peering into a murky pond.

Suddenly, he was distracted by a mysterious shadow in the upper right-hand corner of the mirror. As he watched in alarm, the shadow slowly began to spread -

SLAM!

Jack yelled out in fright and whipped around, but it had only been the front door slamming shut. Funny, he thought he had closed it on his way inside.

Peering back at the mirror apprehensively, he noted that the strange shadow was gone, and that the mirror's surface now looked relatively normal. Had he imagined it?

His curiosity getting the better of him, Jack reached out and gently brushed the corner of the mirror with his fingertips, but it felt normal to the touch. Flat and solid, a standard mirror. He ran his fingers along its finely carved frame, narrowing his eyes at the reflection that stared back at him.

_Better stop… or else. _

A small voice, quiet but firm, spoke to Jack in an irritated tone, the sound of it echoing in his ears. Where had it come from?

Startled, Jack removed his hands at once and stepped back, a feeling of dread settling in. As he retreated, a familiar shadow appeared on the mirror's surface, extending from one corner and spreading itself until the entire mirror turned an inky black.

_What the...?_

He leaned forward to press his fingertips to the mirror's surface, which proved to be a very unwise decision. The smooth surface cracked beneath him, crooked lines sprouting out from the spots his fingers had touched. The cracks stretched across the mirror, curving and crossing until they resembled a spider web.

And then the mirror shattered.

Jack screamed in pain as a thousand shards of broken glass sliced through his body. They twirled around him in the air, stabbing at his stomach, his hands, his face.

Jack tried to protect himself, cowering on the ground and shielding his face in his hands, but his efforts were in vain. The shards slipped through his fingers, aiming for his eyes, and everything went dark. He couldn't see the one large shard that pierced him straight through the heart, thereby cutting off his screams permanently.

Grandfather did say it was a haunted mirror.

* * *

Jack's mutilated body was discovered one week later. Zack, who had been on his daily delivery route, noticed that the farmer hadn't left anything in the shipping bin for quite some time. The tomato plants in the field were wilting in the sun as if they hadn't been watered for days.

Somewhat concerned, Zack knocked on the front door of Jack's farmhouse, hoping the young man wasn't injured or sick. When nobody answered, he tried the doorknob. To his surprise, the door was unlocked, and he pushed it open with ease.

Immediately, he wished he hadn't. A rancid smell assaulted his nose at once- the stench of death and rotting flesh- and his eyes landed on a gruesome sight that he would probably never be able to forget. In a state of shock and repulsion, Zack fought to hold in his supper as he rushed off to fetch the mayor.

Mayor Thomas and Officer Harris entered the farmhouse alone, as Zack had outright refused to come to the house a second time. Upon crossing the threshold into the home, a horrific sight met their eyes.

Jack, or what remained of him, was crumpled in front of a large gilded frame that seemed to have once held a floor-length mirror. The body was an utter mess, barely recognizable but for the brown hair and bloodstained farming clothes. The surrounding floor was completely soaked in blood, and a terrible stench arose from it.

Right away, Officer Harris called for a detective to come in from the city and investigate, as the death was most certainly not natural. Jack had been a strong, healthy young man- healthy young men do not just drop dead on the floor of their house. And especially not in this manner.

It was certainly a curious case, as a thousand glass shards of the mirror had pierced through every inch of open skin on the body, until it disturbingly resembled a porcupine.

A most curious case indeed.


End file.
